Promised Land II
by AMCmajorfan
Summary: PL story. The Greenes are hitting the road again minus Joshua and Dinah. The Angels minus Tess are helping. First out of an series of stories.
1. Greeting the Greenes once again

  
  


"What am I going to do without her O Heavenly Father?" Monica cried up to Heaven. She looked down again and saw that in fact the Heavenly father had decided to bring Tess back home. She allowed the tears to fall from her eyes to her checks as she thought that she may never again while on earth have Tess to lean on.

  


"But you still have us." Andrew said from behind Monica. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  


Monica looked behind her at Andrew, Gloria, Miguel, Adam, Henry, Celeste, Kelly and Sam. "It's not the same." She sobbed.

  


Sam stepped forth. "Monica; it's your time to take the helm." He said with a smile as he looked up to Heaven.

  


"B-but I can't. That's Tess's job." Monica said shocked.

  


Sam brought his eyes back to the young angel in front of him. "Not any longer. Tess is home where she belongs. God says that it is your turn to take over for Tess."

  


Monica shook her head no.

  


"Can you deny the Lord?" Sam asked with a smile.

  


"No." Monica said softly. "But who are we to assume that God wouldn't let Tess come back down to earth? I can not very well take her job from her when she may come back." She tried to point out.

  


"No Monica. Tess is home for good now." Sam said gently but firmly. "It is your turn now." With a parting smile Sam disappeared.

  


Monica closed her eyes once again silently prayed to the Lord and cried her last sad tears for her dear friend which she knew she would see again. She opened her eyes and looked at her fellow angels. She smiled serenely. 

  


"Well....." Gloria asked an little unsure of herself. 

  


"Henry, Adam, and Celeste you know what to do." Monica said smiling at the three angels in turn.

  


They all nodded and disappeared to go on the Heavenly Father's assignments.

  


"Miguel you and Andrew you have a special assignment to attend to." Monica said looking peacefully at her two friends.

  


Miguel and Andrew smiled and waved as they disappeared from the room.

  


Monica at last turned to Gloria. "Gloria and Kelly, our assignment is with a family whom I have dealt with a few times in the past. They are the Greene family."

  


Gloria smiled and nodded. "Yes you and Tess helped Russell to decided to go on the road with his wife, children, mother and nephew."

  


Monica smiled and nodded. 

  


"They traveled for two and an half years; before they had to stop and make an home in Colorado Springs." Gloria contiuned.

  
  


Kelly was silently filing this information away in her heart and mind. *I have a lot to learn about other humans. For fourteen years I only had Jesse to take care of. *

  


"Yes and now it is time for them to be on the road again doing the Heavenly Father's work." With that the three angels disappeared from the room and into the little house that the Greenes lived in.

  


Nathaniel rushed down from the stairs and past the angels. "Hey Monica, what's shaking?" He asked with a wave of his hands.

  


"Not much what's shaking with you Nathaniel?" Monica asked with a slight laugh.

  


"Not much." Nathaniel stopped dead in his tracks and swung around. "Why are you here?" A sad look came on his face. "Someone is about to die huh?"

  


Monica smiled and walked over to the twelve year old boy and placed an hand on his right shoulder. "No Nathaniel no one is going to die. We are here with glad tidies." 

  


Nathaniel smiled came back to his mouth. "Well than Monica, it's good to see you again." He leaned in for the hug that he knew was coming. After he pulled away from Monica, he smiled over at Gloria and Kelly. "What sort of Angels are you?" 

  
  


"My name is Kelly and I'm an undercover angel." Kelly said with an firm but kind nod.

  
  


"I think I saw you one time when I was living with my mother." Nathaniel said with an tilt of his head.

  
  


Kelly's mind flashed back ten years ago. "Julia was your mother." She said softly. "You were only two. Your father came and gave your mother money for you. He than took you from your mother without a second thought. I felt Julia's pain, but Jesse needed me."

  
  


Nathaniel felt tears prick at the edge of his eyes. "You went over to my mother and gave her a hug. I saw it as my father pulled away from the curb." Nathaniel walked over to Kelly and gave her a hug. "Thank you for doing that for my mom."

  
  


Kelly hugged the boy back.

  
  


Nathaniel stepped back and looked over at Gloria. "I have never seen you before."

  
  


"I'm new. I'm what you call a baby angel in training." Gloria said with a smile.

  
"What is you name?" Nathaniel asked.

  


"Gloria." Gloria respond.

  


Nathaniel walked past Monica and put out his hand to shake hers. "Pleased to meet you Gloria, my name is Nathaniel Greene."

  


As Nathaniel and Gloria were shaking hands, Claire walked into the house from the kitchen with her hand full of a brown paper bag. She stopped short at the sight of Monica. "I been expecting you." She said softly as she used her free hand to close the door behind her. She walked toward the table and placed the shack down. "Nathaniel please put the gorecy's away for me. I need to talk to Monica and ...." with that she glanced over at Gloria and Kelly.

  


"Meet Gloria and Kelly; Aunt Claire, they are angels. Kelly is an undercover Angel and did a good turn by my mother once. Gloria is a new angel." Nathaniel said with a smile as he let go of Gloria's hand. He walked to the kitchen to obey his aunt.

  


Claire walked into the family room and walked over to Gloria with her hand out. "Pleased to meet you Gloria."

  


"Pleased to meet you Claire. I have heard so much about your family that I all ready feel part of it." Gloria said with a huge smile as she shook Claire's hands.

  


"Any Angel of God's is always welcomed into the Greene family." Claire said warmly. She let go of Gloria's hand after they were finished shaking them. 

  
  


Claire next turned to Kelly and repeated the hand shake. She turned to Monica. "Where is Tess?"

  


"Back in Heaven." Monica replied softly.

  


"When will she be back? I can't wait to see her again." Claire said with a smile as she waved her hand to the seating area.

  


"You wouldn't see her again until you go home." Monica said softly as she sat down on the sofa.

  


Claire sat down next to her and said. "Oh...." she was surprised to say the least at this news.

  


Nathaniel came back into the living room and took the seat in the chair that faced the couch. "Why did the Lord have Tess go back to Heaven? I thought she would be here till the final days till the Lord finally destroys the Earth." 

  


"HE decided that HE wanted her to be by HIS side." Monica tired to explain so that the humans would understand.

  


Claire nodded her head. "So tell me why are YOU here? And why now?" 

  


"How are Joshua and Dinah?" Monica asked.

  


"Josh loves college and is very happy and settled. And Dinah and Margaret are just setting in Chicory Creek." Claire said with a smile. She looked at Monica. "It's time for us to be on the road again isn't it?" She asked knowing.

  


Nathaniel looked at Monica waiting for the replay.

  


"Yes it is." Russell said suddenly from the bottom of the stair case. "Hello Monica. It's been an while." He walked into the parlor and sat down next to his wife on the couch. "Good thing this couch holds three." He smiled.

  


"I don't mind." Monica said with a laugh. 

"So when do we have to leave?" Russell said getting to the heart of the matter.

  


"At the end of the week." Monica said with a smile.

  


Russell looked at his wife and than over at his nephew. "We are ready." He said with a smile. "I'm sure mother will be too when she gets home."

  


"I'm always ready for an adventure." Hattie sang out from the open door way. "Hello Monica." She smiled over at Gloria and Kelly.

  


"My name is Gloria." Gloria said with a smile.

  


"Pleased to meet you Gloria, my name is Hattie." Hattie said as she walked farther into the living room.

  
  


"Nice to meet you Hattie. My name is Kelly." Kelly said with a smile.

  
  


"Yes I know who you are. I have seen you before." Hattie said knowing.

  
  


"I don't recall to having seen you." Kelly titled her head trying to place Hattie.

  
  


"Nor, should you." Hattie said. She left it at that.

  
  


Kelly obeyed her father and kept quiet on the matter.

  
"Here grandmother take my seat." Nathaniel jumped up and moved aside so that his grandmother could take his seat. He went to sit on the edge of the coffee table.

  


Nathaniel clapped his hands together. "I can't wait to hit the open road again. And think about it this time it will be less crowed without Josh and Dinah hogging all the good space."

  


Claire sighed sadly at the thought of leaving her two children behind.

  


"They are growing up to be fine young adults Claire. You did an good job as their mother they will be all right." Monica said placing an gentle hand on Claire's arm.

  


"I know I'm just being an mother is all." Claire said as she felt tears fall from her eyes.

  


Russell brought his arm across his wife's shoulder and pulled her gently to him. "Life goes on darling." He kissed her head.

  


"Yes life goes on doesn't it." Claire said with an smile as she placed an hand on her stomach. She looked over at Monica. "Is it safe for me to travel?"

  


"The baby inside of you is quite safe Claire." Monica said with an smile as she gently put an hand on Claire's grown stomach. "The baby will be born in an few months."

  


"Well it be an ......" Nathaniel began to ask.

  


"He or she will be well loved." Claire looked up into her nephews eyes.

  


"Ok Aunt Claire." Nathaniel said sleeplessly. He had been trying for two months to get his aunt and uncle to find out if the baby was going to be a boy or girl but they wanted it to be a surprise. "I can wait."

  


"How's your studying coming along Nathaniel?" Gloria asked changing the subject.

  


"All I can say is I'm glad that we are going to be on the road again and Aunt Claire will home school me once more." Nathaniel frowned.

  


"School isn't his thing." Russell said with a slight pat on his nephew's knee. "He learns better with one on one."

  


"Which in the past three years we haven't been able to do that much." Claire leaned forward and put her hand on her nephews arm. "From now on Nathaniel I'll do better by you."

  


"You have always done right by me Aunt Claire." Nathaniel rushed to reassure his beloved aunt. "It's not your fault that I can't learn in a classroom." He shrugged. "It's nobody's fault really." He smiled and leaned forward and placed a kiss on her check. He pulled back and stood up. "I'm going to go call Josh and Dinah and let them know that we are going back on the road." With a wave he walked out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.

  


"He's such an great kid." Russell said with a smile at the stairs.

  


"I just wish I didn't go back to work full time. I have neglected his school work and my first priority as an teacher is to help my students understand their lessons. Not to offer advice where it is not wanted." Claire said leaning back into the couch. "No matter what the pay." She shook her head as she thought of the three years that she was a councilor at the local high school.

  


"You have helped a lot of teens." Monica said.

  


"The Lord placed teaching on my heart Monica NOT concealing full time." Claire said firmly.

  


"You can't fight this woman on this issue and expect to win." Russell said suddenly with a light laugh.

  


"You should know." Claire smiled back at her husband.

  


"Well I should let the office know that the house is back on the market." Russell said standing up and sliding the gun back in place.

  


"You are going have to quite the force." Claire said eyeing the gun. "And everything that goes with it."

  


Russell nodded. "I will let the chief know when I check in tonight." He very well knew that Claire was pleased with the fact that he had to quite the police force to go on the road once again. He knew that she didn't like the fact that he was a police officer and walking the beat. He was at the point now that he knew that his place was on the open road once more so that was why he didn't fight against the truth when he walked down the stairs. "Well I'm off. Don't wait up because I wouldn't be home until the morning." He leaned down and kissed Claire lightly on the mouth.

  


Claire wrapped her arms around Russell's neck and added more pressure to the kiss. She pulled back an inch after an few minutes. "I love you." She said softly.

  


"I love you." Russell leaned up and kissed her lightly on the forehead before standing straight and tall again. With a wave at the five women he walked into the hallway and called up the stairs. "Nathaniel I'm leaving now. Obey your aunt and grandmother." 

  


"Ok bye Uncle Russell see you to mower." Nathaniel called down the stairs.

  


With a final look into the living room Russell left the house.

  


Claire looked at Monica. "Will he ......."

  


"He will be fine. He's in the Lord's hands." Monica said with a reassuring smile. 

  


"As we all are." Claire said bringing a hand back to her womb and rubbing it softly. 

  


Hattie nodded. "So when are we leaving?"

  


"End of the week." Gloria said with a smile.

  


"Well than we have to get the tailor ready." Hattie said with a smile. "We need to get a basinet, an crib later on, an high chair for the tailor. We have to move the rocking chair from the master bedroom and put it next to Nathaniel's bunk bed and mine bed and make it secure for the road." She made a mental list of what they needed to add to the tailor.

  


"We can use Grace's basinet." Claire said softly. "We will pick it up when we go to see Dinah and Erasmus at the end of the month." 

  


"Are you sure?" Hattie asked with concern looking at her daughter - in - law.

  


"Yes. The basinet needs to be used and we can't offered a new one." Claire said gently but firmly. "Same with the crib that is in Grace's room. When the time comes we will set it up in the tailor. But for now it is fine in Erasmus spare room."

  


Hattie nodded her head as she thought about her small granddaughter in Heaven. 

  
  



	2. Author's Note

By the way everyone this takes place AFTER the episode "Remember Me" Pt one and two. I love Tess and everything and I will write more "Touched By An Angel" stories with Tess in them. I loved the idea of Monica being the one in charge without having Tess to lean on.

  
  


So in the "Promised Land II" stories Tess wouldn't make an appearance but of course she will be talked about. 

  
  


I wanted to see what Monica can do standing on her own two feet in charge of Gloria, Andrew and the other Angels. Yes I know Andrew as the Angel of Death and has been around an lot longer than Monica does have more clout but Andrew is after all the Angel of Death and I can't have every human being die for him to take charge Sides I feel Andrew would bow out and play second fiddle to Monica.


	3. Author's Note

I have changed the first chapter with a new angel that is going to be in the lime light along with Monica, Gloria and Andrew.

  
  


If you haven't all ready I recommend you to watch the February 15, 2003 episode of "Touched By Angel". "As it is in Heaven", with special guest star, Lesley Ann Warren. 


End file.
